An Older Adult with a Malignant Melanoma: A Sequential Simulation

Plastic and reconstructive surgeons in training are provided with an opportunity to rehearse and refine communication skills with a 70-year-old man, Mr. John Smith, with a skin cancer on his right hand. The scenario is sequential moving across two phases in the arc of care a patient with a malignant melanoma may experience. We focus on the initial communication in a specialist setting and then the confirmation of the diagnosis and treatment options. The scenario is aligned with competencies in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Curriculum (Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: Curriculum 2019. St Leonards; 2019). Faculty include plastic and reconstructive surgeons who have experience in facilitating simulations but may also include other relevant clinicians. It is designed as a formative assessment. Simulated patients (SPs) have been trained to portray the role prior to attending the session. The simulation event takes ~70 min of the trainee’s time. Separately, the SP training takes approximately 60–90 min and is not detailed here. While this document describes the structure of one faculty to one trainee, it can be adjusted to include observer trainees. The scenario document includes all relevant documents to undertake the session.